NBPM Comics: Not My Small Diary

Editrix Delaine Derry Green performs an amazingly altruistic service for the mini-comics community with her lovely publication Not My Small Diary (or NMSD for short). An offshoot of her previous project, My Small Diary, NMSD is an amazing annual-ish comics compilation coordinated by Delaine (who is also a frequent contributor to my zine projects as well).

Not only does Delaine do all the work in soliciting and coordinating entries for NMSD, she applies her mad design skills so every single issue is a little work of art. Most issues of NMSD are actually two individual books, now up to about 100 pages each. Delaine comes up amazing cover designs and unique bindings for every issue.

Issue #11 (with an "under age 11" theme) was actually bound with safety pins. Issue #12 (After midnight) used silver twist-ties. Issue #13 (Lucky/Unlucky) was tied up with shoelaces. The most recent issue, #14 (the dating issue) was bound with colorful ribbons and included special secret notes on each cover. She uses luscious specialty card stock for the covers, and embellishes them with things like playing cards, cutouts, and additional screenprinted art. Each book is a portable artwork.

The comics contained within each issue are consistently excellent as well, and you'll recognize many "big" names in the mini-comics scene. Of course, Delaine is thoughtful enough to include the contact issue for each contributor, so you can track down more of their work. Someday I hope to actually contribute toNMSD, at least with a short essay, which also occasionally appear.

If you want to get started reading mini-comics, but don't know where to begin, order up a set of NMSD and start from there. You can find Delaine and her projects at My Small Webpage, including artist listings and samples from many issues. Order up - you will NOT be disappointed!

Clockwise from top left: NMSD Issue 14 (Dating), NMSD Issue 13 (Lucky/Unlucky); Issue 11 (Under Age 11); and Issue 12 (After Midnight).

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Binding examples from top: twist ties, safety pins, shoelaces, ribbons.